The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-04-21
THE TABERNACLE SERMON.
DR.. Talmage's Easter Theme "The Over
throw of the Monster"

Death Abolished by Being Swallowed UP In
VictOry-The Soul Does Not Wait for
Funeral Obsequies or Obituaries, but
Goes Right to Heaven.
BROOKLYN, April 10.-To-day being
Easter Sunday the Tabernacle was pro-
fusely decorated with flowers. The pulp pit,
the pillars, and the galleries were one great
garden of bloom. Prof. Browne, the or
ganist, and Prof. Ali, the cornetist, rem
dered selections from Handel, Haydn,
and Beethoven, appropriate to the day
celebrated. The subject of DR.. Talmage's
discourse was "The Overthrow of the
Monster, and his text, Isaiah, XIV. 8: "He
will swallow up death in victory" DR..
Talmage said:
About 1858 Easter mornings have
awakened the earth. In France for three
centuries the almanacs made the year begin
at Easter, until Charles TX made the year
begin at Jan. l. In the tower Of London
there is a royal pay roll of Edward I, on
which there is an entry of 18 pence for 400
colored and pictured Easter eggs, with
which the people sported. In Russia
slaves were fed and aims were distributed
on Easter. Ecclesiastical councils met at
Pontus, at Gaul, at Rome, at Achala, to de-
eide the particular day, and after contro-
versy, more animated than gracious,
decided it, and now through all Christen-
dom, in some way the first Sunday after
the full moon which happens upon or next
after March q is filed with Easter rejoic-
ing.
The royal court of the Sabbaths is made
up of fifty-two. Fifty-one are princes in
the royal household, but Easter is queen.
She wears richer diadem and sways a more
jeweled scepier, and in her smile nations
are radiated. Unusually welcome this
year because of the harsh winter and the
late spring, she seems to step out of the
snow bank rather than the conservatory,
come out of the north instead of the south,
out of the Arctic rather than the tropics,
dismounting from the icy equinox; but
welcome this queenly day, holding high up
in her right hand the wrenched off bolt of
Christs sepulcher and holding high up in
her left hand the key to all the cemeteries
IN Christendom.
1t is an exciting thing to see an army
routed and flying. They run each other
down. They scatter everything valuable
in the track. Unwheeled artillery, hoof of
horse on breast of wounded and dying man.
You have read of the French falling back
from Sedan, or Napoleon's track of 10000
corpses in the banks of Russia, or of
the retreat of our own army from Manassas,
or of the five kings tumbling over the rocks
of Bethoran with their armies, while the
hail storms of heaven and the swords of
Joshua's host struck them with their fury.
In my text is worse discontinue. 1t
seems that black giant proposed to con-
quer the earth. He gathered for his host
all the aches and pains and malarias and
cancers and distempers and epidemics of
the ages. He marched them down, drill
in Cr thAY,, in fba Y,nrlhaocf pyi,,l
the slush of tcmpests. He threw up barri-
cades of grave mound. He pitched tent of
charnel house. Some of the troops marched
with slow tread, commanded by consump-
tionS, some in double-quick, commanded
by pneumonms. Some he took by long be-
seigement of evil habit, and some by one
stroke of the battleax of casualty. With
bony hand he pounded at the door of hos
pitals and sick rooms, and won all the vic
tories in all the great battlefelds of all the
five continents. Forward march, the con-
queror OF con uerors, and all the generals
and command. rs ief, and all presi-
dents and kings an. tans and czars drop
under the feet o his war charger. But one
Christmas night his antagonist was born.
AS most of the plaques and despotisms
come out of the east il vas appropriate
that the new conqueror should come out of
lLC ouillG NtliEAbIs OWbI lb tu IllLl 10
awaken all the fallen of all the centuries
and of all lands, and marshal them against
the black giant. Fields have already been
won, but the last day of the worlds exist
ence will see the decisive battle. When
Christ shall lead forth Hi two brigades,
the brigade of the rise dead and the bri-
gade of the celestial e., the black giant
will fall back, and the brigade from the
riven sepulchers will take him from be-
meath and the brigade of descending inn
mortals will take him from above, and
death shall be swallowed up in victory.
The old braggart that threatened the
conquest and demolition of the planet has
lost his throne, has lost his scepter, has
lost his palace, has lost his prestige, and
the one word written over all the gates of
mausoleum and catacomb and metropolis,
on cenotaph and sarcophagus, on the lonely
khan of the Arctic explorer, and on the
catafalque Of great cathedral, written in
capitals of azalea and Gala lily, written in
musical cadence, written in doxology of
great assemb'ages, written on the
sculptured door of the family vault, is
victory" Coronal word, embannered
word, apocalyptic word, chief word of the
triumphal arch under which conquerors re-
turn.
Victory! Word shouted at Culloden and
Balaklava and Blenheim, at Megiddo and
Solferino, at Narration, where the Athenians
drove back the Medes; at Poictiers, where
Charles Martel broke the ranks of the
Saracens; at Salamis, where Themistocles
in the great sea fight confounded the Per-
SLAMS, and at the door of the eastern
cavern of chiselled rock, where Christ
came out through q recess and throttled
the king of terrors, and put him back in
the niche from which the celestial con-
queror had just emerged. Aha! when the
jaws of the eastern mausoleum took down
the black giant "death was swallowed mp
in victory" proclaim the abolition of
death.
The old antagonist is driven back into
mythology with all the lore about Stygan
ferry and Charon with oar and boat. Mel
rose Abbey and Kenilworth Castle are no
more in ruins than is the srpu'chrr. We
shall have no more to do with death than
we have with the cloakroom ut n governor's
or presidents levee. We stop at such clio X
room and leave in charge OF a servant our
overcoat, our overshoes, our outw ri aD-
parel, that we may not be impede in The
brilliant round of the drawing room.
Well my friends, when we 20 out ID this
world we are poinp 10 a kings bn"G.e.
and t. a rere' ion of munar., .n ,
or of the tomu We a' r..
flesh and the Wrap'mg5 49, u Nu.4 Va
meet the storms Of tis p,r
close of mn earthly re 'p. u IN 10 '.2
brush and broom OF The potter h. rru' '
hat may be handed tc II heonr han " n
were gned it, and tie c.oat a. M
will finally he returned to- MS im uy.u sad
briahened and purlnd AMI g'4j.od.
You and do not wort OR ud.v~ re-
turDel rs tbpV are now. q Nunt O.. Lett